Door stop



(Np Model.) 2 SheetsSheet 1.

J. W. GOS LING DUUR STOP, HOLDER, AND CLOSER.

No. 439,296. Patented Oct. 28,1890.

) 2 Sheets-Sheet (No Model.)

J. W.. GOSLING.

DOOR STOP, HOLDER, 'AND GLOSER.

Patented Oct. 28'; 1890.

IN V'EJVTOR I UNITED STATES PATE T OFFICE. I

JOHN IV. GOSLING, OF CINCINNATI, OHIO.

DOOR STOP, HOLDER, AND CLOSER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 439,296, dated October 28, 1890.

Application filed December 3, 1889- To all whom it may concern.-

citizen of the United States of America, and

a resident of the city of Cincinnati, in the county of Hamilton and State of Ohio, have invented a certain new and useful Combined Door Stop, Holder, and Closer, of which the following is a specification.

The several features of my invention and the various advantages arising from their use, conjointly or otherwise, will be apparent from the following description and claims.

My invention is particularly designed for the doors of vehicles, and is especially valu able when applied to and combined with roadvehicles.

In road-vehicles which have side doors after a person has entered the carriage or has left it the door is usually closed. In such cases the door is supposed to be latched,but, in fact,has not been latched. In such event as the carriage is started forward the door flies open, and, projecting beyond the vertical plane of the outer ends of the hubs of the wheels on that side of the vehicle, not infre quently strikes against a lamp-post or other obstruction at the side of the roadway, or against a passing vehicle, and occasions much injury to itself and often to the object against which it strikes.

To remedy these disadvantages is one of the objects of my invention.

For the purposes of illustrating my invention I have in the accompanying drawings, making part of this specification, shown my invention applied to a road-vehicle having a door at each side.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a rear elevation of the lower portion of the body and rear springs of such a road-vehicle and of my invention applied to said vehicle. Fig. 2 is a bottom view of one of the carriage side doors and of a portion of the carriage-body in the vicinity of said door, and showing a bottom view' of my invention as applied to said door and body. Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2, with this exception, that in the present figure the door is open, whereas in Fig. 2 the door is closed. Fig. 4 is a side elevation of the lower half of the carriage-door and of the part of the vehicle-body closely adjacent thereto and of the step, and showing my in- Serial No. 332,487. (No model.)

vention in position. i Fig. 5, Sheet 2, is a view in perspective of the central portion of a carriage, the door being open, and my invention being shown in perspective applied to the door at a point higher up than as illustrated in the preceding figures, a part of the front porable shape, and B B the springs, of any desired form and construction.

0 indicates the vehicle-bottom, and D the side door. The latter is hinged to the body.

Out of the various kinds of hinges that may be employed one description is here shown. It consists of a limb E, bolted or otherwise rigidly secured to the bottom of the door and pivoted 'to a second limb E, likewise rigidly secured to the bottom of the vehicle-body. Other suitable hinge or hinges of the door are applied, as usual, higher up on said door.

I will now proceed to describe my invention.

F indicates a draw-bar. One end of this bar is pivotally connected to the door at such a distance from the inner edge of the latter as shall enable the pivotal point of the doorhinge to be used as a fulcrum when the drawbar pulls on the door.

In Fig. 3 the draw-bar F is shown pivotally connected to the door at M by a pivotal bolt. The plate N affords an additional support for the bolt at M and prevents it gradually working loose in the wood of the door. The other end of the draw-bar is connected to a spring. The preferred form of this spring is a coiled one, as indicated by the letter H in the drawings. One end of this spring is connected to the draw-barF and the other end is connected either to a fixed point of the vehicle, as H or to the end of the opposite draw-bar belonging to the door on the other side of the vehicle; The latter mode of fastening said end of the spring is the preferred one. In this way the one spring is utilized for both doors and the presence and expense 4 of an additional spring for the second door are avoided. A guide-bar for preventing the drawbar F and spring H from falling is present. It is also necessary that the door when opened to a certain point should be promptly there stopped and prevented from opening any farther, in order to prevent its striking the wheel. The bar G performs both of these functions. It upholds the draw-bar and operates in connection with the draw-bar in the manner now to be described to limit the swing of the door. The bar G is bolted to the bottom. The central portion of the bar G is located a sufficient. distance from the bottom of the body or equivalent surface to which it is attached to allow the central portion of the draw-bar room to slide closely between said bar G and the body without binding.

The rear or inner end of the draw-bar is provided with a shoulder J. WVhen the door is opened, the draw-bar is drawn outward until this shoulderJ reaches the bar G, where it impinges against the inner edge of the said bar G and prevents the draw-bar from moving farther outward. This cessation of the motion of the draw-barlikewise stops the door ina position substantially as shown in Fig. 3.

Were it not for the device now to be described, the spring H would immediately draw the door shut. Ordinarily the door needs to be in an open stationary position while the occupants of the carriage are entering it or dismounting therefrom. To meet this need Ihave provided the draw-bar F with the incline I, located in conjunction with or proximate to the shoulder J. In opening the door the draw-bar is gradually drawn out until the incline comes against the adjacent surface of the guide and stop bar G. The incline then acts as a wedge and holds the draw-bar, and consequently also the door, stationary against the tension of the spring. Thus the door is held open. The frictional hold which the draw-bar thus has upon the bar G is nevertheless not great.

A slight inward movement of the door, accomplished by a push or pull, according to the position of the person operating it, is sufficient to disengage the incline I from the bar G, and when this disengagement takes place the door is immediately closed by the action of the spring. Thus if the door be by any mischance left open,as will be more often the case after the occupants of the carriage have temporarily left it, the starting forward of the horse or horses in setting the vehicle in motion, or the ordinary jolting to which every road-vehicle is subjected while in motion, will readily serve to disengage the incline from the draw-bar and allow the spring to close the door.

As the incline I will in many cases be subject to great wear, I provide in lieu thereof the spring-incline shown in Fig. 7. While this spring-incline operates in substantially the same way as the rigid incline, nevertheless it better accommodates itself to the wear of the surface of the incline and of the bar G, and thus longer continues to bind against the bar G than will the rigid incline.

In Fig. 5 my invention is shown applied to a door at a point higher thereon than in Figs. 1, 2, 3, and 4.

The pivotal connection between the drawbar F and the door is made on the inner side of the door, near its hinged edge, as shown, the adjacent end of the draw-bar being preferably provided with a hook or eye, as shown, embracing a vertical pivot-bar bolted to the door D. In this instance the bar or guide G is secured to the frame-work of the seat, or

an equivalent suitable stationary frame under the seat.

The spring H is connected at one ,end to the draw-bar'and at the other end to a fixed point of the vehicle under the seat, or to the adjacent end of the draw-bar connected to the door at the other side of the vehicle.

The bar G and spring H and part'of the draw-bar are concealed behind the upholstering or trimming.

The mode in which this door and draw-bar and spring and bar G operate is precisely the same as in the case of those shown in Figs. 1, 2, 3, and 4.

The person on entering or leaving the carriage opens the door until it is brought to a standstill by the vehicle-stop aforementioned.

The door now remains open. After entering or leaving the vehicle he givesthe door a slight pull or push, according to his position in relation to the door, and the incline being thereby disengaged from the bar G the door is closed by the spring H. Should the door by accident or inadvertence be left open, the movement of the carriage in starting will release the incline from the bar G and the door will close to place.

It very frequently happens that the person leaving or entering the vehicle shuts the door and supposes he has-latched it, when,in fact, he has not. In such event heretofore as soon as the carriage has started the door will fly open, and, projecting out beyond the hubs of the wheels on the same side of the vehicle, frequently comes into contact with passing vehicles or with lamp-posts and other fixed objects at the side of the road, thereby receiving injury to itself and frequently communicating injury to those things against whiclrit strikes.

My invention prevents such a catastrophe, as the spring H will keep the door closed although unlatched.

While the various features of my invention are preferably employed together, one or more of them may be used without the remainder.

That I claim as new and of my invention,

inner end of draw bar F and at the other end nected to the hinged door, substantially as and for the purposes specified.

4. The hinged door, draw-bar I, pivotally connected at one end thereto and at the oth er end to spring H, the latter connected at its other end to some other portion of the vehicle, the stop-bar G, and draw-bar provided with stop for impinging against the stop-bar, substantially as and for the purposes specified.

JOHN W. GOSLING.

Attest:

WM. E. J ONES, K. SMITH. 

